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Monday, December 12, 2011

Honoring Ullr, the Norse God of Snow

Each winter, snow-worshipers don Viking horns and line the streets of Breckenridge, Colorado, to pay homage to Ullr (pronounced Ooo-ler), the Norse god of snow.

The 49th annual Ullr Fest from January 8 to 14, 2012, gives thanks for snow with a notorious Main Street parade, wacky Ullympic competitions, an ice skating party, town bonfire and more. Key events are as follows:

Monday, Jan. 9 – Crowning of the Ullr King and Queen: Toast to 49 years of fun and hang with royalty of Ullrs past at the coronation’s new location – Main Street Station.

Tuesday, Jan. 10 – The Ullympics: Watch (or participate in) wild events such as the frying pan toss, group ski racing and retro relay. Awards and a party follow.

Wednesday, Jan. 11 – Ullr Dating Game: Calling all bachelors and bachelorettes! Join local radio station KSMT and all the great singles in town for Breckenridge’s version of the Dating Game. Ullr himself will be on hand looking for love.

Thursday, Jan. 12 – Ullr Fest Parade: Join Breckenridge locals as they show off notoriously creative floats in – unofficially – the world’s craziest parade, which honors the Norse god of snow. More than 12,000 fill the streets to see floats showcasing ski jumps, hot tubs and ski waxing stations. A town bonfire follows.

The Ullr Festtradition started in 1963, when locals wanted to thank Ullr for Breckenridge’s average of 300 inches of snow. The first few years of “Ullr Dag” (Ullr Day in Norwegian), townsfolk honored Ullr with gold coins, parties and skiing. Some Ullr traditions grew into signature town events, including snow sculpting. What began during the early days of Ullr is today the International Snow Sculpture Championships.